Reverend Chris Hogstad

I am pleased to be the new pastor here at Trinity Lutheran!  Thank you for the warm welcome I have received here since starting on March 22.  We are jumping in together toward Holy Week and the Easter celebration of resurrection and new life that comes with the empty tomb.

A bit about me, I was born and raised in central California by a Minnesota dairy farm dad and a California central coast beach girl mom alongside my younger brother.  We moved about three weeks after I graduated from high school, and I went off to college at the same school my mom went to.  Once figuring out that I wanted a social life in college I transferred to CSU Bakersfield where I graduated with a BA in History and a minor in Political Science.  I then taught high school social studies for a few years, being let go due to budget cuts in 2000.  I coached basketball and was an off-ice official for the minor league hockey team plus the PA announcer for the minor league baseball team in Bakersfield.

The call to seminary came during a three-day retreat weekend entitled Via de Cristo, which is based on the Cursillo movement started by two Spanish monks of Roman Catholic tradition in the mid 1950’s.  From there, I attended Trinity seminary in Columbus, OH graduating in 2006.  I met my wife, Megan, at Trinity.  She is from Aberdeen, WA and went to PLU for her undergrad work.  She is an ordained Deacon within the ELCA, focusing on Worship and Education.  Her family is three generation WSU grads: maternal grandfather, a Ved/Med grad, her father from Communications, and brother and sister with Business/Music/Education degrees. Her parents have football season tickets for going on for 25 years and we’ve been blessed to come to Pullman for games and road trips with the Cougs during that time.

Megan and I have two children, Austin was born during our first call in North Dakota; and Taylor, born during our second call in the Everett, WA area.  We’ve also served in southern CA and most recently in the Vancouver, WA region.  They will come over once the school year is complete in order to keep their lives as stable as possible.  I am looking forward to getting to know you and how God works in, with, and through you to show the Kingdom here in the Palouse!  Blessings to you.

Dr. Jill Schneider -Organist

Jill Schneider has been a church musician for 45 years and has served in Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian churches.  She is currently the organist and pianist at Trinity Lutheran Church in Pullman and a member of the American Guild of Organists and the Association for Lutheran Church Musicians.  

Dr. Schneider completed degrees in Organ Performance and Music Education in 1986 at the University of Colorado.  She earned a Master of Music Education in 1991 and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Organ Performance in 1995, both from the University of Georgia.   

 She taught organ, piano, harpsichord, music education, and music history at Washington State University from 2000 to 2020.    She remains active as an adjudicator for organ and piano events sponsored by the Washington State Music Teachers Association.  She maintains an active piano studio in Pullman and is a nationally certified teacher of piano and organ through the MTNA.  She continues to enjoy accompanying and performing with friends at Washington State University, at Trinity Lutheran and in the community.   

Dr. Julie Wieck -Choir Director

Julie Anne Wieck is an Associate Professor of Music at Washington State University where she is the Coordinator of the Voice Area, teaches studio voice and directs the opera and musical theatre productions. Dr. Wieck is an active recitalist, adjudicator, and clinician. Julie has been a church musician, serving as soloist, choral director, pianist and even pedal-less organist for 40 years. She is currently the choir director at Trinity Lutheran Church in Pullman, Washington.

Kaycie Lewis -Office Manager

Kaycie grew up attending Bellevue Presbyterian Church, where she volunteered in Vacation Bible School (VBS). It was here that her passion for working with children blossomed, leading her to pursue a career in education. She was later hired as a toddler nursery teacher and served as the Assistant Preschool Director for VBS. In 2020, Kaycie relocated to Pullman to attend school and found a welcoming community at Trinity. She graduated from Washington State University in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in General Social Science, with an emphasis in Kinesiology, Human Development, Psychology, and Anthropology. Before assuming the role of Office Manager, Kaycie spent two years as a Preschool Lead Teacher, honing her management, record-keeping, and collaboration skills. Outside of her work at Trinity, Kaycie enjoys spending time with her horses, hiking, camping, sewing, and photography.